


if i could make days last forever

by bartallen



Category: DCU (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Groundhog Day, M/M, Temporary Character Death, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 23:17:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bartallen/pseuds/bartallen
Summary: Jaime keeps reliving the same day and Bart slips through his fingers every time.or: the Groundhog Day AU





	if i could make days last forever

**Author's Note:**

> title from [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO1rMeYnOmM). which is a great song, btw. ♡ 
> 
> thanks to [gaia](http://nojiwook.tumblr.com) ♡. ily.

 

 

 

He wasn’t even there the first time it happened, really. Perhaps, he thinks, that was less painful.

 

But that would be lying. Every time was painful, no matter how many miles separated them.

 

 

 

This is how it starts– 

 

 

 

1.

 

It’s the buzzing of his phone that wakes him. 

 

**1 new text message** ,it says right under _April 21, 2017._ The day before his twenty-second birthday.

 

He sleepily unlocks his phone and stares at the bright, cracked screen of his phone until his mind catches up with him and deciphers the words. 

 

_rise and shine jaime!!!!!! let’s get breakfast together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

 

Despite the early hour can feel himself smiling while he types a reply.  
  


_20 mins?  
  
_

As usual, Bart's reply comes within seconds.

_  
yay!!!!! :)))))))))))))))))))))_

 

.

 

When Jaime befriended Bart two years ago – the short kid who unknowingly sat in the wrong class for an hour without noticing – he didn’t know that he was signing up for a friendship with some spontaneous boy whose apparent goal was to keep him on his toes. “He keeps you young,” is what his mother says all the time, who thinks her son a grandpa trapped in the body of a 21-year-old.

  
Sometimes he feels like it, too.

  
Especially on mornings when Bart looks well rested despite it being not even nine. He waves Jaime over, already seated at their usual booth, breakfast and coffee in front of him.  
  
  
“I already ordered for you,” he greets him cheerily.

  
“Gracias,” he says casually and takes a sip from the hot drink.

  
Bart grins excitedly and grabs his fork to start eating his own breakfast.

  
“Why did we come so early? Both of our classes start at 11.”  
  


Jaime still takes another sip from his mug and watches Bart shovelling eggs into his mouth.

  
The younger boy merely shrugs.

  
“Maybe I wanted to see you before class,” he says, only it comes out as _Mbe I ted t’ee ya b’re clss_ because Bart has never learned not to talk with one’s mouth full.

  
Bart continues to tell him about his week, about how his roommates kept him awake all night again (“How are you even awake right now?”, “Why would I waste precious time by _sleeping_ , Jaime?”) and how excited he is for the movie tonight. 

  
And Jaime almost forgot about that.

  
“Ah, yes.”

  
Bart gasps and sees right through him.

  
  
“You forgot!” he accuses him and points his fork at him, disappointed frown on his face.  
  


“I did not.”  


  
“Did so.”  
  
  
They argue back and forth, and Jaime successfully distracts him with talks about their classes, until Jaime finishes his second mug of coffee and feels much more alive.

  
Bart pays for both of their breakfasts (“I invited you, Jaime, it’s fine.”) and they’re making their way to campus. 

  
When they stop in front of the Chemistry Building where Bart’s first class of the day is, the younger boy turns around to face Jaime and puts a finger on his chest. 

  
“Come over at 8 and we’ll go to the movies together.”

  
“Alright,” Jaime says and then he feels Bart’s arms around him. The hug only lasts for a good few seconds, before Bart smiles at him.

  
“Thanks for breakfast, Jaime,” Bart says and disappears into the building.

  
_But I didn’t even pay_ , Jaime doesn’t say. 

  
Instead he makes his way to the other side of campus, still thinking about the lingering feeling of the hug.

 

.

 

Jaime is back at his dorm when he gets the call.

  
He doesn’t bother checking the Caller ID before he answers and is just mildly surprised when he hears Tim’s voice on the other end.  


  
“Jaime.”

  
Tim’s tone makes him sit up straight in his chair, essay forgotten.

  
“What is it?”

  
Tim pauses for a second, before he answers. Jaime thinks he can hear someone sobbing in the background. _Cassie?  
  
_

“Jaime,” Tim says again and Jaime knows.  


 

.

 

Jaime doesn’t move for an hour after he hangs up on Tim and then he doesn’t leave the shared bathroom for another hour after throwing up.

_  
Dead dead dead, Bart is dead._

  
He keeps staring at the tiles on the wall.  
  


_It was a hit and run_ , Tim said. _He didn’t even make it to the hospital.  
  
_

_But I only saw him a few hours ago, it can’t be_ , Jaime didn’t say. 

  
Tim is expecting him at their flat, he knows. Jaime doesn’t think he’ll go. He doesn’t think he’ll move from where he’s seated in front of the toilet anytime soon.

  
He keeps thinking about the feeling of Bart’s arms around him and how he'll never get to experience that again.

  
He falls asleep there, body exhausted from too much crying.

 

 

 

2.

 

His phone buzzes. 

 

Jaime’s head hurts and he doesn’t remember how he got into his bed.

 

Memories from last night come back to him and he feels sick.

 

He doesn’t move, but stares at the ceiling. 

 

His phone buzzes again.  


 

Automatically, his hand reaches for his phone and he stares at the screen.

 

**2 new text messages** , it says.

 

He unlocks the phone and stares blankly at the messages.

 

_rise and shine jaime!!!!!! let’s get breakfast together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_jaime!!!!!!!????????????????????_

 

He stares and stares and then he thinks, _what kind of sick joke is this?_

 

Another message comes right in then.

_  
  
come on i can see that you read my messages!!!!! get up!!_

 

Jaime exits the chat and checks the date then.

 

_April 21, 2017._ The day before his twenty-second birthday.

 

He sits up so fast his head feels dizzy.

 

His phone buzzes again, indicating another message.

 

_A dream,_ Jaime thinks. _No, a nightmare._

 

Hesitating, he types out an answer.

 

_20 mins_

 

_._

 

When he sees Bart waving him over from their usual booth, he’s pretty sure that the last day was a horrible, painfully real nightmare.

  
Bart looks so alive and so bright that there is no other explanation for it.

  
“I already ordered for you,” he says and Jaime stares at him.  
  


Jaime doesn’t take his eyes off him for the rest of the breakfast.  
  


His coffee goes cold, but Jaime doesn’t think he’d feel alive drinking it anyway.

 

.

 

If Bart thinks Jaime is acting strange, he doesn’t mention it and keeps the conversation going. He reminds him of the movie again and pays for their breakfast just like last time.

  
Jaime thinks maybe he’s having some kind of deja vu, or that maybe he’s still dreaming.

 

When Bart throws his arms around him in front of the Chemistry Building, he holds on for a bit longer, just to be safe.

 

.

 

_It was just a dream_ , he keeps telling himself, sitting on his desk at the dorm, wondering if he should have walked Bart home after his class.

 

He contemplates calling him just before his phone rings.

 

_TIM DRAKE_ , it says and Jaime’s blood runs cold.

 

.

 

This time he curls in on himself on his bed and wishes for sleep to come quickly, praying for a third chance.

 

 

3.

 

The phone is in his hand before it even stopped buzzing.

 

_April 21, 2017_

 

“Thank god,” he yells, relief flooding through him. “Thank god.”

  
He promises to meet Bart in 20 minutes and jumps out of bed.  
  


“This time it’ll be different.”

 

.

 

As the last two times, Bart is already waiting for him.

  
“I already ordered for you,” he greets him and Jaime grins, never been happier to see him.

  
“You know what,” he says, grabbing his coffee. “I was thinking you might.”

.

 

“I’ll pick you up after class,” he promises Bart when they separate. “Wait for me here.”

  
Bart gives him a funny look, but doesn’t object.

 

.

 

As he said he would, Bart is waiting for him in front of the Chemistry Building, fiddling with the straps of his yellow backpack.  
  
  
Jaime clasps him on the shoulder when he approaches and steers him in the direction of the pathway.

  
“Let’s go,” he says.

  
Bart asks him about his class (“Didn't pay much attention.”), reminds him to come over at 8 again (“I’ll be there.") and tells him about the tracking competition they have next month that he’s training for.  
  


And Jaime wants to listen, he does, but he’s more focused on paying attention to the cars and bikes that go way over the speed limit and don’t stop at stop signs.  
  
  
Only when they’re at Bart’s shared apartment, he relaxes.  
  


_I did it_ , he thinks. _I saved him._

  
“Thanks for walking me home.” Bart says, smiling even though his eyes have that suspicious glint in them. “You didn't have to.”

  
Jaime shrugs.

  
“Are Tim and Kon home?”

  
Bart nods, still eyeing Jaime weirdly.

  
“They don’t have any Friday classes, remember?” He nudges him. “Only we made that mistake.”  


  
Jaime fondly rolls his eyes and checks his phone for the time. It’s only 12.45.  
  
  
“I’ll be here at 8,” he promises and Bart nods excitedly, clearly over Jaime’s strange behaviour. 

  
“See you tonight, then.”  
  


Jaime watches Bart enter the building, waving one last time.  
  


He feels accomplished.

 

.

 

Bart doesn’t text him during the day, which is strange in itself, but even stranger is the fact that he doesn’t answer any of Jaime’s texts.

_  
hey_

 

_bart are u there_

 

_what are u doing_

 

_where are youuu_

 

 

He doesn’t pick up when he calls him, either.

  
Worry hits him then, and he calls Tim.

  
Tim, bless his soul, answers after two rings.  
  


“Hi, Jaime,” he says.

  
Tim sounds calm and relaxed and not like Bart just died, so Jaime’s panic settles a little bit.

  
“Hi,” Jaime replies, trying to keep his voice nonchalant. “Is Bart with you? He isn’t answering his phone.”

  
“He’s not here,” Tim says. “He’s out with Barry. Said something about the wedding, I think.” Jaime can hear Kon mumbling something in the background.

  
“Kon said he left his phone.” Tim sighs fondly. “Typical.”

  
Jaime doesn’t think that’s typical at all. Bart is always on his phone.

  
“Where exactly is he, do you know?”

  
“Nope.”  
  


“He didn’t say?”  
  


Jaime is tapping his foot impatiently against the carpet.

  
“Did something happen, Jaime?”

  
The tapping stops and Jaime takes a deep breath.

  
“No, I just need to talk to him. Do you have Barry’s phone number? Or Wally’s?”

  
Tim hesitates before answering.

  
“No. Is really everything okay? You’re still coming tonight, right?”

  
“What?”

  
“The movie? At 8? You’re coming, right? You have to come.”

  
Jaime rolls his eyes.

  
“Yes, I’m coming. You sure you don’t have their number? It’s important.”

  
Jaime hears Tim and Kon talking quietly in the background, before Tim is back on the phone.

  
“Kon is gonna ask his dad for Barry’s number, he'll send it to you.”

  
“Great,” Jaime exclaims. “Thanks.”

  
“Uh-huh,” Tim says. “Bye.”

 

.

 

“This is Barry Allen.”  


 

Bart’s uncle sounds cheerful, which is a good sign.

 

“Hi, Mr. Allen, this is Jaime Reyes, I’m Bart’s friend. Can I speak to him for a second, it’s really important.”

 

Mr. Allen pauses for a second before Jaime can hear a rustling and then a confused “Hello?”.  
  
  
“Bart!”

 

“Jaime?” Bart sounds confused. “What’s going on?”

 

“You didn’t answer my texts.”

 

“Oh,” Bart says after a moment of silence. “I forgot my phone at home.”  


  
“I know.”  


  
Bart pauses again.  
  
  
“So…you called Barry?”  
  


“Kon gave me his number,” Jaime says, like that explains everything.

  
Bart chuckles. “What’s up with you today?”

  
Jaime feels stupid now.

  
“Listen, I’ll just –“

  
He stops talking when he hears yelling in the background.

  
“What’s going on?”  
  


Bart doesn’t answer for a moment and Jaime thinks he dropped the phone, but then he can hear Bart whisper.  
  
  
“Shit, I think this place is getting robbed or something.”  


  
“What?” Jaime stands up abruptly. “Get out of there!”  
  


He doesn’t hear Bart speak again, but only the echo of multiple gunshots.

 

 

7\. 

 

So far Bart has been hit by a car, got shot, got stabbed, hit by lightning and bled out from a head wound.

 

Jaime suspects that he’s the one who died and got stuck in hell.

 

When he hears his phone buzzing for the seventh time, he doesn’t answer it. 

 

_Maybe the solution is not getting involved at all._

 

So he texts Bart:

 

_sorry, can’t today. i’m back home in el paso for the weekend._

 

_WHAT  
  
_

_NO_

_  
YOU CAN’T BE_

 

_sorry ese. next time._

 

_BUT JAIME thE MOVIE_

 

_sorry bart. gotta go._

 

He turns off his phone then and doesn’t leave his dorm for the rest of the day. 

 

.

 

He turns his phone back on around eight in the evening.

  
As expected there are a few missed texts from Bart, Tim and Kon. Even Cassie messaged him, disappointed in him for not letting her know that he left town.

  
No missed calls, though. No texts informing him about a tragedy.

 _  
This was it?_ he thinks. _Not being near him is what saved him?_

 

_._

 

He gets the call at 10:24pm.

 

 

 

15.

 

The first time he’s with Bart when it happens is when they’re walking in the park. Jaime figured out that the only way to keep Bart from going with Barry is to spend time with him instead. 

  
Bart doesn’t seem to find Jaime’s behaviour weird at all, or maybe Jaime is just becoming used to pretending.  
  


“Do you remember when we first met?” Bart asks suddenly.

  
Jaime furrows his brows and pulls Bart closer to him as they’re approaching a gardener trimming the bushes.

  
Sharp things seem to attract Bart on this day.

  
“What do you mean?”  
  


“I mean you basically hated me.”  


  
Jamie huffs and lets go of Bart as soon as they pass the man.

  
“I did not hate you.”  


  
“But you thought I was annoying, admit it.”

  
Jamie rolls his eyes.

  
“You were stealing my food.”  
  


Bart shrugs.  


  
“You could have offered.”  


  
As they round the corner, Bart gets quiet and keeps looking at the ground. Seeing Bart this carefree and quiet makes Jaime’s heart ache. He doesn’t want to live another April 21. He doesn’t want to get another phone call. Bart doesn’t even know what’s been happening, what’s still going to happen, unquestionably.

 

“Jaime, I’ve been meaning–“  
  


“Look out!”  
  


Bart and Jaime both turn around then, where a woman is yelling and pointing at something above them.  
  
  
Jaime is much slower in his reflexes than Bart is, because the next thing he knows is that he’s being pushed out of the way of a falling tree branch. 

  
He’s on the ground, and the woman is screaming.

  
“Please, no,” Jaime stammers and turns around to look for Bart. “No, no, no, please.”

 

He’s pretty sure he starts crying then, because the woman is still screaming, Bart doesn’t say anything, and there are people gasping and mumbling. He can feel someone tugging on his arm, trying to pull him away from where he’s still on the ground, but he pushes the persons hands away, crawling towards the fallen branch under which his friend is.

 

“Bart!”

 

Bart’s eyes are unfocused and hazy, and he doesn’t seem to recognise Jaime.  


 

The grabby hands are there again, pulling him to his feet, despite his numerous protests.

  
“Son, come on, look at me.”

 

With slow movements, he looks at the old man who has a tight grip on his arm. He grabs his face and wipes something wet from his cheek. 

  
Jaime takes one look at the pity and sadness on the man’s face and promptly turns to his right to throw up.

 

.

 

When the paramedics arrive and put a shock blanket over his shoulders he can’t help but think about what Bart was gonna say.

 

.

 

This time it’s him that calls Tim.

 

 

 

16.

 

The next day, he hugs Bart for a full minute without saying anything.  
  
Bart doesn’t seem to mind.

 

 

20.

 

It takes him almost three weeks to find out that the movie tickets they had, are actually not movie tickets at all.  
  


It’s only a reason to get him to come to Bart’s, Tim's and Kon’s apartment at eight.  


_  
the door is open, come in!!!!_

 

When he enters the apartment, the room is dark and he looks for the light switch when he hears “Surprise!” and the lights come on.

 

And – 

 

this is not what he was expecting at all.

  
“Are you surprised?”  
  


Bart is grinning from ear to ear and Tim and Kon hand him both a drink and a plate with cake. 

 

“We thought we’d celebrate the night of your birthday.”

 

“Wow, I’m,” he’s looking around to smile at his friends that wave at him from where they’re standing. “...really surprised.”

  
Bart seems satisfied with that answer.

  
“There are no movie tickets,” he says and leans forward, as if telling him a secret.

  
Jaime leans forward as well.

  
“I figured.”

  
“Okay, come on. You have presents,” Cassie comes over and pulls him to the middle of the living room.

  
The hosts follow him and Garfield turns on some music, while Megan and Tye hand him his first presents.

  
Jaime can’t help but wonder what’s going to go wrong this time.

 

.

 

It’s an electric shock. One of the sockets comes loose.

 

 

24.

 

One day he tries staying in all day with Bart and not leaving him out of his sight.

 

.

 

He ends up choking on a piece of bread.

 

 

25.

 

When he tries again without giving him bread, it’s a heart attack that should be impossible for a 20-year-old.

 

 

27.

 

He tells Tim and Kon everything while Bart is in class.

 

“I’m stuck in a time loop.”  
  
  
“Okay.”  


  
Tim gives him a weird look, while Kon ignores him in favour of his PS4.

 

“I’m serious.”  


  
“About?”

 

Jaime throws up his arms in frustration.

  
“The time loop! I keep reliving the same day for the past four weeks.”  
  


Kon’s character kills Tim’s and Tim throws his controller on the floor.  
  
  
“Are you doing an experiment or something?”  
  
  
Jaime shakes his head.  
  
  
Kon turns off the TV and focuses on Jaime.  
  
  
“Okay, say all of it again. I’m listening.”  


  
“I’ve lived this day 27 times now.”  


  
They both stare at him.  
  
  
“Dude, are you okay?”

  
“ _No_ , because I keep reliving the same day.”

 

Tim and Kon exchange a glance.

  
“So…like Groundhog Day?”

 

Kon looks conflicted.

 

“Fuck, I hate that movie.”  


Jaime puts his head in his hands.  
  


 

28.  


 

“So…like Groundhog Day?”  
  


“Fuck, I hate that movie.”  


  
Jaime turns to look at Tim.  
  
  
“Tim, this isn’t the first time I told you this. You told me something only you know. Something you never told anyone else and I told you that I’d tell you so you’d believe me.”

  
Tim looks intrigued when Jaime leans forward and whispers something in his ear.  
  


“What the fuck.”  


.

 

“So the only thing that’s the same is that Bart keeps dying.”  


  
“Yes.”  


  
“Have you tried stopping it?”

  
“ _Yes_ , Kon.”  
  


“Maybe the point is that you become a better person.”  


  
Jaime looks at Tim, who seems self-conscious now.  
  
  
“I mean, wasn’t it like that in the movie?”  


  
Kon shakes his head.  
  
  
“But Jaime isn’t a douche like the weatherman is. He’s already a good person.”  


 

.

 

“Have you–“

 

“Yes.”

 

“And–“

 

“Twice.”

 

.

 

Having someone believe him is great, but it doesn’t stop Bart from dying.

  
Wally West calls Tim at 4:29pm.

 

 

33.

 

The next time Bart dies next to Jaime, he cries and whispers “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do.”

 

 

39.

 

Jamie takes Bart to Disneyland, because he knows Bart has never been and he doesn’t care about saving money anymore.

  
Bart offers to pay at least his ticket, but Jaime refuses, paying for both of them.  
  


“You don’t have to,” Bart says again, but Jaime interrupts him.  
  
  
“I want to.”  


  
They ditch class and enjoy the day.

  
And it’s nice, really nice. There’s no food poisoning, none of the rides malfunction and they don’t crash their car on the way there.  
  
  
Jaime realises that for a few moments he forgot that he’s stuck in this awful loop forever.  
  


He also realises that he loves seeing Bart smiling way too much.

 

 

41.

 

Instead of getting numb to the pain, he feels it more intensely every time.

 

Sometimes, he doesn’t get out of bed at all, but waits for the day to go by, only so he can relive it the next day again.

 

 

42.

 

“I already ordered for you.”  
  
  
“You’re going to die today.”

 

.

 

Bart stares at him for a full minute without saying anything.

  
Meanwhile Jaime takes a sip from his coffee, already a tad colder than he’s used to.  
  


Bart opens his mouth and closes it again, clearly still processing everything that Jaime just told him.  
  
  
Finally, he speaks.

  
“I’m sorry.”  


  
Jaime expected a lot, but not this.

  
“What are you sorry for?”  


  
Bart looks at him, his green eyes full of sadness.

  
“For dying, I guess.”  


  
He sounds earnest and Jaime’s heart fills with affection. No tests, no secrets: Bart just believed him.

  
“What are you doing everyday, then?”

  
“Something else, every time,” Jaime shrugs and tries to recall everything they did these past weeks. “We even went to Disneyland.”  
  
  
Bart’s eyes get huge.  
  
  
“How did I like it?”  
  


The older boy can’t help but laugh.  
  
  
“You loved it. It was amazing.”  


  
Bart gasps, and his gaze turns to his food again, still untouched.

 

 

43.

 

He doesn’t tell Bart again.

 

He’d rather watch Bart be happy in his last hours, not fidgeting and always on edge.

 

When he takes him to the movies, not his surprise party, a real movie this time, he lets Bart choose and buys them more snacks than they could possibly eat.

 

During the movie, when he leans closer to Bart than necessary, he can see his profile, slightly lit by the movie in front of him. He never noticed just how many freckles Bart has on his face; suddenly overcome by the desire to count them.

 

 

45.

 

Jaime chooses to spend every day with Bart from now on. He convinces him to skip class and he lets him choose what they do.  
  


They go see a musical, and then they go bowling even though Jaime is the worst at bowling. 

  
They get ice cream, and they get lunch and dinner.

  
Jaime finds himself more and more absorbed with Bart, and the way his green eyes seem to get even greener when he’s really excited.

  
Jaime doesn’t want the days to end, and they don’t.

 

.

 

_The worst part is_ , Jaime thinks, _that to Bart is gonna forget all of these things again._

 

Meanwhile Jaime can’t get rid of the memories; the lingering touches and the warmth on his limbs from where Bart touched him.

 

_Maybe the punishment isn’t watching Bart die – maybe it’s creating memories with him that Bart won’t even remember._

 

 

50.

 

On the fiftieth day, Jaime convinces Bart to skip the party and spend the whole day with him doing something else. They go see the same movie Jaime has seen with Bart five times now (he doesn’t mind though, seeing Bart laugh makes up for it) and go to the Planetarium afterwards, since it was one of the places Bart had expressed interest in going to. They take part in two of the shows, but for the rest of the night, they decide to explore the place by themselves. Jaime lets Bart take the lead and tell him about all of the different stars and planets he knows about. 

 

Jaime suddenly feels melancholic. He doesn’t think his heart can take another April 21.  
  


“What's wrong?”  
  


He didn’t even realised that he stopped, but now Bart is standing in front of him, his eyebrows furrowed in concern as he looks up to him.  
  
  
“Nothing.”  
  


Bart’s hand reaches out and touches his cheek, unaware of Jaime shivering from the sudden touch.

  
“You’re crying.”

  
Now that Bart said it, he knows he’s right. He can feel the wetness on his cheeks.

  
He wipes away the tears hastily and shakes his head, ready to keep going.

  
“It’s nothing.”

  
Bart, however, grabs his arms and gives him a look.  
  
  
“Jaime, what’s wrong?”

  
He looks so concerned and unaware of everything that has been happening, that all Jaime can feel is utter sadness. He wants to keep him safe, has been trying to do so for the past 50 days, but has been unsuccessful every time. He’s useless.

  
“I don’t want to lose you.”  
  


Bart’s hand is still on his arm and now he’s pulling him closer so that he can look him in the eyes. Only now he realises how much he means that.

  
“But I’m right here?”  


  
Jaime shakes his head. 

  
“No,” he says, voice shakier than intended. “I’ll lose you again.”  
  
  
Bart seems lost, but he doesn’t let go of him, instead his hand trails down his arm and grabs his hand. 

  
“I’m not going anywhere,” Bart says and it sounds like a promise.

 

.

 

They leave the Planetarium after that, not only because it’s already late and the Planetarium was almost closing, but also because the mood changed after Jaime’s breakdown. Bart still hasn’t let go of his hand and Jaime doesn’t want him to. 

  
They’re walking down the dark street that’s slightly lit by a few street lights. Despite the late hour, there’s still a few people walking ahead of them as slow cars keep passing them.  
  


They don’t talk, even though Jaime has a million things in his head that he wants to say, but then again Jaime has never been great at expressing his feelings.  
  


It happens when Bart takes a breath and looks like he wants to say something. Bart slows down when they pass a bus station, whose digital sign shows the arrival of the buses. He comes to a stop in front of Jaime, looking determined.  
  


Jaime looks at him, but then something catches his eye behind him and –

 

 

 

 

This is how it ends –

 

 

 

The driver of the car hits the brakes as soon as the two pedestrians are seen but it’s to no avail, way too fast; having run a stop sign coming out of the side street. The car swerves a bit and comes towards them with the passenger side first, and Bart, whose back is towards it, doesn’t even see it coming.

_  
Please not again_ , he thinks and he grabs Bart by the waist and pulls them both to the side. The movement is so fast that both of them tumble for a bit, but Jaime’s grip is strong and he’s holding Bart up, whose eyes are wide with shock.

  
The car comes to a stop right next to them, only inches away.  
  


Jaime thinks he can hear the driver yelling something like “Fuck”, “Sorry” or “Are you okay?”, but he doesn’t pay him much attention.  
  


His focus is on Bart, who is still tightly in his arms and staring at him as if seeing him for the first time.  
  
  
“You saved me.”  
  


Bart keeps looking at him in wonder, face so close that Jaime can count the freckles on his face. _1, 2, 3, 4…  
  
_

Jaime finds himself smiling, despite the situation.  
  


In the heat of the moment he leans forward and presses his lips against Bart’s.  
  


It’s everything he hoped it’d be and even more.  
  


It’s not a long kiss by any means, but Jaime still feels breathless after they separate, face flushed and heart beating way too fast. 

  
Bart is smiling at him, eyes shining.

  
“Oh,” he says, and then his eyes get catch something over Jaime’s shoulder. His smile turns even wider. “Happy Birthday.”  
  


Jaime stops breathing for a second.

  
“What?”  
  


Bart points behind him, and when Jaime turns around he sees the clock at the bus stop announcement sign. It reads _0:00._

  
“It’s my birthday,” he breathes out, unbelieving. 

  
He quickly grabs his phone from his pocket and unlocks it, ignoring the messages.

  
_April 22, 2017.  
  
_

Jaime laughs out loud, relief passing through his whole body. 

  
“Someone’s happy to be 22.”  
  


Bart is still standing in front of him, blush still on his face from the kiss and Jaime wraps his arms around him, pulling him up in glee.

  
Bart joins in on the laugh and buries his face in Jaime’s neck.  
  


“I don’t know what you’re so happy about, but I'm glad you are.”  


  
Jaime puts him down again and stares at him in wonder.

  
“I’m glad you’re here.”  
  
  
Bart starts blushing again and Jaime thinks it’s the most endearing thing ever.  
  
  
“Well, I’m glad to be here, too.”  


  
Jaime laughs before kissing him again.

_  
I’m glad you’re here_ , he thinks. _Really, really glad._

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on [tumblr](http://czernyy.tumblr.com).


End file.
